Twins day at camp: Minor leaguers spoil Phil Hughes' plan

Phil Hughes probably won't ever have to face the Charlotte Stone Crabs again, which is fine by him.

"They're a little … aggressive, I guess," Hughes said after a 74-pitch outing vs. Tampa Bay's Class A team on Wednesday, an ordeal that kept him on track to be ready when the season opens but gave him little opportunity to work on the nuances of his job. "They probably swung at 90-plus percent of my pitches, so there weren't a lot of deep counts."

In fact, manager Paul Molitor said, the Twins' charts show that Hughes threw 21 first-pitch fastballs, 18 for strikes — "and 16 were swung at. You get ambushed a little bit. I don't think he wants to go back."

In his five innings (though one was cut short by pitch-count concerns), Hughes struck out two and allowed nine hits, "but I don't think one of them was hit hard. I just tried to get through it. Didn't get hurt, so that's something."

Nothing to worry about, General Manager Terry Ryan said. Like Jose Berrios and Ervin Santana were reminded Tuesday, facing eager minor leaguers isn't easy.

"Those guys come out hacking. especially when you're around the plate like Santana and Hughes," Ryan said "Those guys are very comfortable in that box, because they're playing with house money."

Trevor May and Kevin Jepsen also pitched an inning against Tampa Bay minor leaguers, and neither gave up a run. Jepsen threw 11 strikes in 15 pitches, May nine in 11. "It went pretty fast," Jepsen said of his outing, "but that's a good thing. I felt great."

The Twins' rules about children in the clubhouse have worked well, Molitor said — and he is careful to follow them himself.

"I try not to give myself more leniency in that than others," said Molitor, whose 9-year-old son, Ben, occasionally accompanies him to Target Field or spring camp. "I'm blessed with my 9-year-old son who loves baseball, and the guys love having him around, but I have to follow the rules like I ask my players to."

That means: Kids are welcome after games, and can be on the field before Sunday home games. Molitor said he has never heard of a situation like that of Adam LaRoche, the White Sox slugger who chose to quit baseball rather than bring his son to the ballpark less frequently.

"It's not the norm when a player walks away from a guaranteed contract," Molitor said. "Obviously he has peace about it, or he wouldn't do it."

• Byron Buxton reported to camp Thursday, but after meeting with the team's trainers, the rookie outfielder was sent home for a second day with the flu.

Tyler Duffey, who hasn't faced a major league lineup since giving up five runs vs. Toronto on March 8, will be on the mound at Boston's JetBlue Park on Friday.